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As a hiker, I have peed in a lot of awesome places; on the Wonderland Trail circling Mt. Rainier, the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon, the lighthouse trail at Point Reyes, the Kentucky/Virginia state line at Cumberland Gap, Mt. Le Conte, the Green Mountains, Devil’s Cave in the Big South Fork, the nature…
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Speaking of camping/hiking trip ghost stories… My most recent creepy event in the woods actually happened on a Sheltowee Trace hike. The trip organizer was driving us back to camp after we ate at the all-you-can-eat-buffet at Natural Bridge. There were about 18 of us in the van. It was after dusk, it was cold and raining, and we were far out…
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There were two prevalent themes on this beautiful, clear-blue skies hike. The first theme was that I became turned around several times over the course of the weekend. Not lost per se… (I don’t believe I have ever been lost), just turned around. It reminds me of something that was once said by Daniel Boone. He claimed to have…
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Many have said that hiking a long trail is a metaphor for life; with its ups and downs, trials and tribulations, great beauty, sometimes great pain, with good and bad weather. Overall, while this platitude (bordering on cliché) may be true, there is a component to this idea that I had never experienced before. It came to me as a revelation…
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Sometimes, the old ways are the best ways. Backpacking is uniquely a modern sport, but it is deeply grounded in the idea of “returning to nature.” Granted, human beings have been walking the earth for millions of years. And it could be said that Cro-Magnons were the first official “backpackers.” But unlike our distant ancestors today’s modern adventurers typically carry…
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It felt as though I had concrete blocks tied to both feet. Through the smelly decomposing bio-matter I sloshed. The mucky mud made every step a challenge, and my legs protested for me to sit. I passed through a briarwood jungle. The trail was partially obscured in places by thick understory, and thick brambles clawed at the…
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I started my 15-mile circuit on my bike today. Straight up Man’O’War to the airport and back. It feels good to ride again. Just realized one of my new favorite things; riding my bike to the airport, watching some airplanes takeoff (I saw an old biplane take off today). Coming home, taking a shower, then heading up the street to hit up the taco truck. This was the perfect ride. Today was a gorgeous day…
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Camping and hiking with the BSA used to be a big part of my life when I was a kid. However, I was reflecting today that the STA is so much better than the Boy Scouts (I loved scouts, but I mean duh!). I don’t have to wear uniforms, it’s nearly 100% out in the woods, no meetings, no slogans…
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Sometimes I never know how much (or what) I am going to write. Starting into this report I was sure that I had writer’s block, but per usual, once I started writing the words just flowed from my ever-verbose fingers. I guess I have to make up for all of the other times that I am…
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This has been one of the hardest years I’ve ever had to go through. There has been a ton of surprises and heartache, enough for a lifetime to be sure. If I would have my druthers, I would ask for TWO broken legs instead (and believe me after what I went through in 2014 I never want that to happen again).…